Offshore Wind Ireland – Projects, Targets and the Race to Build a New Industry

Offshore wind in Ireland represents both the country’s biggest untapped energy resource and its most significant infrastructure challenge. Ireland’s Atlantic coastline and Irish Sea offer powerful, consistent winds that could generate enormous volumes of clean electricity – yet the country currently has just 25 MW of offshore wind capacity from a single small project installed over two decades ago. With a target of 5 GW by 2030 and a long-term vision of 37 GW by 2050, the race to build an Irish offshore wind industry is now underway.

This guide covers the specific projects moving through planning and development, the new maritime planning framework, fixed-bottom versus floating wind technology, supply chain and port challenges, and what needs to happen for Ireland to deliver on its vast offshore potential.

🎯 Ireland’s Offshore Wind Targets

The ambition is enormous. Ireland’s Climate Action Plan sets a target of 5 GW of offshore wind capacity by 2030, with a longer-term goal articulated in the Future Framework of 20 GW by 2040 and at least 37 GW by 2050. For context, 5 GW of offshore wind would be enough to power several million homes and would represent more capacity than Ireland’s entire current onshore wind fleet.

As of early 2026, Ireland has just 25 MW of installed offshore capacity – the Arklow Bank Wind Park Phase 1 off the coast of County Wicklow. This seven-turbine project was installed in 2004 as a demonstrator by Airtricity (now SSE Renewables) and GE Energy, and it is set to be decommissioned. No other offshore wind farm has been built in Ireland in the intervening two decades, making the gap between ambition and reality one of the starkest in Europe.

The first Offshore Renewable Electricity Support Scheme (ORESS 1) auction in 2023 was a landmark, awarding contracts to four projects. A second auction in November 2025 successfully awarded the Tonn Nua site off Waterford to an ESB and Orsted joint venture, representing approximately 900 MW of capacity. Combined, these two auctions have procured around 4 GW of offshore wind. However, securing auction contracts is only the beginning – the projects still need to clear planning, secure financing, and complete construction.

🏗️ Phase 1 Projects in the Irish Sea

The first wave of Irish offshore wind development is focused on the Irish Sea, where six Phase 1 projects were originally designated. Five of these have submitted or are preparing planning applications to An Bord Pleanala (now An Coimisiun Pleanala). The sixth, Sceirde Rocks off the Galway coast, was cancelled by its developer.

Codling Wind Park is the largest of the Phase 1 projects, with a planned capacity of up to 1,300 MW. Located on Codling Bank between 13 and 22 km off the Wicklow coast, it is a 50/50 joint venture between Fred. Olsen Seawind and EDF Renewables. The project submitted its planning application in September 2024, with two design options – either 60 turbines at 314 metres tip height or 75 turbines at 288 metres tip height. When operational, Codling alone would account for just over a quarter of Ireland’s 5 GW offshore wind target. Subject to planning permission and other consents, construction could begin in 2026-2027 with operations starting by 2030.

Dublin Array is planned for the Kish and Bray Banks approximately 10 km off the coast of Dublin and Wicklow. Developed by a joint venture between RWE and Irish company Saorgus Energy, it has an expected capacity of up to 824 MW across 39 to 50 turbines. RWE submitted its planning application in February 2025, with construction potentially beginning as early as 2027 if planning is approved.

Arklow Bank Phase 2 is being developed by SSE Renewables, adding approximately 520 MW to 800 MW off the Wicklow coast near the original Phase 1 site. North Irish Sea Array (NISA) is planned for the waters off north County Dublin, Meath and Louth with a capacity of around 500 MW. Oriel Wind Farm targets a site off the coast of County Louth with a capacity of approximately 375 MW.

In April 2025, An Bord Pleanala issued requests to several of these developers to revise their planning applications to better assess the cumulative visual and environmental impact of multiple wind farms in the Irish Sea. This request, which covers the combined effect of turbines stretching from Dun Laoghaire to Wicklow, has added complexity to an already lengthy planning process.

🌊 The Tonn Nua Auction and South Coast Potential

The successful ORESS 2 auction in November 2025 awarded the Tonn Nua site off the Waterford coast to Helvic Head Offshore Wind DAC, a joint venture between ESB and Danish developer Orsted. The project will deliver approximately 900 MW of capacity at a strike price of 98 euro per MWh, significantly below the average wholesale electricity price in Ireland during 2025.

Wind Energy Ireland welcomed the result as a major vote of confidence in offshore wind investment and highlighted the economic opportunity for Waterford and the southeast region. However, the industry body also pointed out that three other designated sites off Ireland’s south coast have no clarity on when or how they will progress, and that a government plan to publish a national map of new offshore sites is not expected until the end of 2027.

⚖️ The Maritime Area Planning Framework

Ireland’s regulatory framework for offshore wind has undergone a fundamental overhaul in recent years. The Maritime Area Planning (MAP) Act 2021 replaced the outdated foreshore licensing system with a modern plan-led approach to maritime spatial planning. Key elements include Maritime Area Consents (MACs) issued by the Maritime Area Regulatory Authority (MARA), which was established to manage the seabed and marine space.

The Oireachtas approved Ireland’s first Designated Maritime Area Plan (DMAP) for offshore renewable energy in 2024, providing a spatial framework for where development can occur. A national DMAP is being prepared to identify additional areas suitable for offshore energy projects, though this process is still in its early stages.

The Phase 1 projects have all been awarded MACs and have entered or are entering the planning application process with An Coimisiun Pleanala. However, the planning system remains a source of uncertainty. Environmental assessments, cumulative impact studies, public consultations and potential oral hearings all add time to the process. Wind Energy Ireland has consistently argued that delivering these Phase 1 projects must be treated as a national priority, as without them there is no offshore wind industry in Ireland.

🔧 Supply Chain and Port Infrastructure

Building an offshore wind industry requires more than just turbines. It needs manufacturing capacity, specialist installation vessels, trained workers, and port infrastructure capable of handling enormous components. Modern offshore wind turbines can have blade lengths exceeding 100 metres and tower heights above 200 metres, requiring deep-water ports with heavy-lift capability and large laydown areas.

Ireland currently lacks a purpose-built offshore wind port. Work is underway to develop port facilities, with Rosslare in Wexford and Cork emerging as potential hubs for the south coast projects, and Dublin and Belfast serving the Irish Sea developments. The government’s national industrial strategy for offshore wind sets out a vision for developing domestic supply chain capacity, though much of the early construction will inevitably rely on international expertise and vessels.

Job creation estimates for the offshore wind sector are substantial. Codling Wind Park alone estimates over 1,000 construction jobs and approximately 75 long-term operations and maintenance roles. Across the full pipeline, the employment opportunity is transformative, particularly for coastal communities that have experienced economic decline.

The government’s national industrial strategy for offshore wind sets out a vision for maximising the domestic economic benefit from the sector. This includes developing Irish-based manufacturing and assembly capacity where feasible, training a specialist offshore wind workforce, and positioning Irish companies to win contracts in the European offshore wind supply chain. The Skillnet Offshore Wind Academy has been established to provide industry-specific training, and several Irish universities and institutes of technology have introduced courses in marine renewable energy.

The regional economic impact is significant. The ORESS 2 auction result for Tonn Nua has been highlighted as a major opportunity for Waterford and the southeast, a region that has historically lagged behind Dublin and other urban centres in economic development. Port development, construction employment, operations bases and supply chain activity could collectively create a substantial new economic cluster in the region. Similar opportunities exist for communities along the east and south coasts as the Phase 1 and subsequent projects progress.

⚡ Grid Connection and the Celtic Interconnector

Connecting large volumes of offshore wind to the national grid presents its own challenges. Export cables must be laid under the sea from the wind farm to a landfall point, with an onshore substation connecting to EirGrid’s transmission network. Codling Wind Park, for example, will use three subsea export cables of 40 to 50 km running to a new 220 kV substation at Poolbeg in Dublin Bay.

The 700 MW Celtic Interconnector between Ireland and France, scheduled for completion at the end of 2026, will enhance the country’s ability to export surplus renewable electricity and import power when domestic generation is low. Further interconnection capacity will be needed as offshore wind develops, particularly if Ireland is to become a net exporter of renewable electricity as envisaged in long-term policy.

Battery storage will also play an increasingly important role in managing the variability of offshore wind output. Grid-scale batteries can store excess generation during windy periods and release it during calm spells, reducing curtailment and improving the economics of offshore projects.

🔮 What Needs to Happen Next

The path from 25 MW to 5,000 MW by 2030 is extraordinarily ambitious, and most industry observers acknowledge that the full target is unlikely to be met on schedule. The Phase 1 Irish Sea projects are progressing but face planning uncertainties and construction timelines that extend well into the late 2020s. The south coast Tonn Nua project is even earlier in its development journey.

What Ireland can do is ensure that every possible barrier is removed and every possible enabler is put in place. That means resourcing the planning system to handle complex marine applications efficiently, investing in port infrastructure, providing revenue certainty through well-designed auction mechanisms, and maintaining strong political support at all levels of government.

The prize is enormous. Ireland’s offshore wind resource has been described as arguably the best untapped resource of its kind in the world. Unlocking even a fraction of the 37 GW designated potential would transform Ireland from one of the EU’s most energy-dependent nations into a clean energy exporter, with profound implications for economic competitiveness, energy security and climate action.

For the latest on how onshore wind is progressing alongside offshore development, and how offshore wind fits into the broader renewable energy mix, see our related articles below.